Page 92 — British Frozen Food Federation (BFFF)

EXAMPLES OF SAMPLING APPROACHES EMPLOYED BY THE FSA

Posted on January 23, 2025December 1, 2025 by Sarah Collison

The Food Standards Agency (FSA) have shared an on-demand webinar covering the subject of sampling approaches for food analysis.

The webinar focuses on those approaches employed by the FSA but was produced by the Joint Knowledge Transfer Framework for Food Standards and Food Safety Analysis, funded by the Food Standards Agency, the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, Food Standards Scotland and the Department for Science Innovation and Technology via the Government Chemist.

Food sampling involves taking a sub-sample from a larger consignment to gain insight as to its composition. It performs an essential function in providing intelligence and evidence on the safety and authenticity of food and feed on the market, supporting enforcement action, where needed, to protect consumers. The process for undertaking sampling can be expensive and resource intensive and therefore needs to be delivered in a coordinated and targeted manner to be effective in addressing identified gaps.

The seminar provides information to promote a better understanding of different sampling approaches that can be used in different situations and can be viewed here

CAP CONSULTATION UPDATE: MEDIA RESTRICTIONS ON ADVERTS FOR “LESS HEALTHY” FOOD AND DRINK PRODUCTS

Posted on January 23, 2025December 1, 2025 by Sarah Collison

The Committees of Advertising Practice (CAP) have recently issued an update on the consultation regarding media restrictions on advertisements for “less healthy” food and drink products, which closed on 7th February 2024.

The update explains where CAP are in finalising the guidance for implementing the new restrictions, the next steps in the consultation process and expected timelines to bring the work to a conclusion.

On behalf of the ASA, the Committees of Advertising Practice (CAP) consulted on rules and guidance to implement provisions in the Communications Act, 2003 (the Act), which will, from October 2025, ban ads for “identifiable” less healthy food and drink products (LHF) from being: 

included in Ofcom-regulated TV services between 5:30am and 9:00pm;

included in Ofcom-regulated on-demand programme services (“ODPS”) between 5:30am and 9:00pm; and

placed in paid-for space in online media at any time.

However, based on legal advice to support their evaluation of consultation responses, CAP (supported by the ASA and Ofcom) now considers that some parts of the proposed guidance are likely to require revision.

They are therefore, preparing revised guidance to better support affected advertisers and media to help them to make informed judgments about whether an ad would be likely to be restricted.

The revised version of the guidance, will go out for further public consultation in the coming weeks, barring any unforeseen developments.

Following their re-evaluation they will then work with Ofcom and the ASA to complete the governance process. In accordance with the Act, this must involve consultation with the Secretary of State.

They aim to publish the final guidance in the spring, again barring any unforeseen developments.

Further explanation of the areas under revision can be found here

GCA LAUNCHES ANNUAL GROCERIES SECTOR SURVEY

Posted on January 23, 2025December 1, 2025 by Sarah Collison

The Groceries Code Adjudicator (GCA) has launched its annual groceries sector survey and is interested to hear from suppliers as to how they have been treated by the 14 large retailers.

The survey, run by the independent polling company YouGov, is confidential and covers the behaviour of the retailers and issues affecting the industry. The responses will help the GCA understand which large retailers are perceived as the most, and least, compliant with the Groceries Code and how cost price negotiations and other issues are impacting suppliers. 

The survey is open for six weeks, and closes on Sunday 23 February 2025, and the results will be published in the summer. The GCA will commission YouGov to conduct anonymous follow-up interviews with a select group of respondents to explore supplier concerns in more detail. Suppliers can indicate their willingness to participate in these interviews at the end of the survey.

You can take part in the survey here

FSS PUBLISH GUIDANCE FOR FOOD BUSINESSES ON SETTING PRODUCT SHELF-LIFE

Posted on January 23, 2025December 1, 2025 by Sarah Collison

Food Standards Scotland (FSS) have recently published guidance on setting product shelf life.

There is no standard method to estimate or set the shelf-life of a food product as many different elements can affect the product safety and quality. However, this latest guidance contains comprehensive lists of factors and considerations applicable to shelf-life determination and verification in order to assist businesses in complying with the legal requirements, i.e. that the food safety criteria applicable throughout the shelf-life can be met under reasonably foreseeable conditions of distribution, storage and use.

Note: whilst the document has been developed with Sottish businesses in mind, the considerations outlined will also apply to businesses beyond Scotland.

The guidance can be downloaded here

UNIVERSITY OF BRISTOL ASK FOR VIEWS TO HELP SET FUTURE RESEARCH PRIORITIES

Posted on January 23, 2025December 1, 2025 by Sarah Collison

To help set the priorities for future research, the University of Bristol is asking children and young people with food allergies, their parents, and health care professionals who care for them for their views.

One in five children in the UK are affected by food allergies, which can have an impact on their physical, emotional and social wellbeing, and that of their family too. There are many unanswered questions about the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of food allergy in children, and researchers do not know which are the most important to children, parents and health care professionals.

With funding from the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR), the University has teamed up with the James Lind Alliance – a not-for-profit organisation which looks to identify unanswered health research questions by reaching out to those most affected. Together they have launched a survey and are inviting children and young people, their parents and health care professionals to respond.

More detail, including an informative video can be found the study website as well as on a recent press release

ANAPHYLAXIS UK ADVISE ON FOOD ALLERGIES AND VEGAN LABELLING

Posted on January 23, 2025December 1, 2025 by Sarah Collison

Ahead of Veganuary and with more and more consumers switching to vegetarian or vegan diets, BFFF member Anaphylaxis UK took the opportunity to remind food businesses of the risks posed by allergens in vegan and plant-based products.

Many vegan alternatives include common allergens like soya or nuts yet, earlier in 2024, figures released by the Food Standards Agency (FSA) had shown that over half of people with allergies to animal-based products wrongly assume food labelled as ‘vegan’ is safe to eat.

But as Anaphylaxis UK point out, products labelled as ‘vegan’ or ‘plant-based’ may still carry a risk of cross-contamination with animal-derived ingredients. This is because, while such ingredients are intentionally excluded, there is no legal requirement for vegan products to be tested for the presence of animal products. 

In response to the findings, and with support from Anaphylaxis UK, the FSA launched a campaign to raise awareness of these risks and help consumers understand the distinction between vegan labelling and allergen-free labelling.

Anaphylaxis UK also published a “How to safely navigate vegan food allergens” page to highlight the risks and offer handy tips for managing food allergies on a vegan diet. More recently they have published Tips for businesses this Veganuary.

We would urge members to look through the resources provided and please do contact Anaphylaxis UK directly should you require any advice.

A few reasons to become a member of BFFF

To find out more about becoming a member call 01400 283 095 or email the team

Join BFFF

Member profile on BFFF website

Free BFFF Member List

Free listing in the annual Member Directory

Access to latest industry news and information

Weekly newsletter, press and media opportunities

Press and media opportunities

Marketing, sponsorship and exhibitor opportunities

Networking via opportunities at BFFF events

Free market data provided by Circana and World Panel

Access to industry specialists

Expert guidance from Technical and Health & Safety teams

Access to Primary Authority schemes and assured advice

H&S Audit Service/Advice

Free access to HR and legal guidance and advice line

Training and Education

Member Benefits

Exclusive Partnership deals on key products and services:

BFFF energy deals and rates
Vypr member deals and introduction
Defib Plus deals
Company Shop – membership
Mentor – MHE training health check

Exclusive access to networking opportunities and events:

Meet the Buyer events (retail & foodservice)
Annual Business Conference with networking dinner
Specialist H&S and Technical Conferences
Special interest groups (packaging, frozen food temperatures)
Annual Lunch
Awards Night

Become a member

Sponsorship Packages

We offer a range of sponsorship opportunities to BFFF members across our events throughout the year, with flexible packages that can be tailored to suit your business objectives.

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